Installing Cisco CSR 1000V Licenses

Activating Cisco CSR 1000V Licenses

When the Cisco CSR 1000V first boots, the router boots in evaluation mode. The network interfaces are activated but throughput is limited to 2.5 Mbps and the feature support is limited. Activate the software licenses to obtain the throughput and feature support provided by the license. For information about the available licenses in your software version, see the Cisco CSR 1000V Series Cloud Services Router Release Notes. The Cisco CSR 1000V supports the following options to activate the software licenses:

Cisco Software Licensing (CSL)

Installing the Cisco CSR 1000V licenses using Cisco Software Licensing (CSL) is similar to other Cisco router platforms. See Cisco Software Licensing (CSL)

Installing CSL Licenses for Cisco IOS XE 3.12S and Earlier

Activating CSL Evaluation Licenses for Cisco IOS XE 3.12S and Earlier

When the Cisco CSR 1000V first boots, the network interfaces are activated but feature support is limited and the throughput is limited to 2.5 Mbps. The evaluation license is bundled with the software, but you must activate the evaluation license to access the features.

SUMMARY STEPS

Perform the following steps after the Cisco CSR 1000V first boots to activate the evaluation license:

1. enable

2. configure terminal

3. license boot level { standard | advanced | premium }

Accept the EULA.

4. end

5. write memory

6. reload

7. show license detail

8. show platform hardware throughput-level

The evaluation license expires 60 days from the time it is activated.

DETAILED STEPS

Command or Action

Purpose

Step 1

enable

Router> enable

Enables privileged EXEC mode.

Enter your password if prompted.

Step 2

configure terminal

Router# configure terminal

Enters global configuration mode.

Step 3

license boot level { standard | advanced | premium }

Router(config)# license boot level advanced

Activates the evaluation license on the Cisco CSR 1000V upon the next reload.

You must accept the End User License Agreement (EULA) to use the evaluation license.

Note In Cisco IOS XE 3.12.1S and later 3.12.xS releases, use the standard option for the IPBase feature set, the advanced option for the Security feature set, and the premium option for the AX feature set.

Step 4

end

Router(config)# end

Exits global configuration mode.

Step 5

write memory

Router# write memory

Saves the running configuration to NVRAM.

Step 6

reload

Router# reload

Restarts the Cisco CSR 1000V to boot to the feature level set using the license boot level command.

Step 7

show license detail

Router# show license detail

After the Cisco CSR 1000V restarts, verifies that the license has been installed and is active.

Step 8

show platform hardware throughput-level

Router#
show platform hardware throughput level

The current throughput level is 2500 kb/s

Verifies the Cisco CSR 1000V maximum throughput level.

The evaluation license expires 60 days from the time it is activated.

Installing CSL Regular Licenses for Cisco IOS XE 3.12S and Earlier

In Cisco IOS XE 3.12S and earlier, the Cisco CSR 1000V first boots in limited mode with the Standard feature set enabled and the maximum throughput limited to 2.5 Mbps.

You can generate multiple licenses for the Cisco CSR 1000V from one PAK. The purchased PAK determines the number of licenses you can generate.

SUMMARY STEPS

Perform the following steps after the Cisco CSR 1000V first boots:

1. Obtain the PAK.

2. enable

3. show license udi

4. Convert the PAK to a license by entering the PAK and the UDI into the Cisco Product License Registration portal: http:/www.cisco.com/go/license

When entering the UDI, enter only the 11-character serial number, for example, 966975BITWG. The UDI is case-sensitive, and should be entered in all capital letters.

5. license install stored-location-url

6. configure terminal

7. license boot level { standard | advanced | premium }

8. end

9. write memory

10. reload

11. show license detail

12. end

13. configure terminal

14. (Optional) platform hardware throughput-level

15. end

16. show platform hardware throughput-level

Repeat these steps for each license available for your PAK.

DETAILED STEPS

Command or Action

Purpose

Step 1

Obtain the PAK.

The PAK is provided to you when you order or purchase the right to use a feature set.

The PAK serves as a receipt and is used as part of the process to obtain a license.

Step 2

enable

Router> enable

Enables privileged EXEC mode.

Enter your password if prompted.

Step 3

show license udi

Router# show license udi

Displays all the UDI values that can be licensed in a system.

You need the UDI of the device as part of the process to obtain a license.

Step 4

Convert the PAK to a license by entering the PAK and the UDI into the Cisco Product License registration portal: http:/www.cisco.com/go/license

When entering the UDI, enter only the 11-character serial number, for example, 966975BITWG. The UDI is case-sensitive, and should be entered in all capital letters.

After entering the appropriate information, you will receive an e-mail containing the license information that you can use to install the license:

Copy the license file received from the Cisco Product License Registration portal to the appropriate file system on the device.

Step 5

license install stored-location-url

Router# license install bootflash:90NVHJ3C26E_20140724194119019.lic

Installs the license.

Accept the end-user license agreement if prompted.

Step 6

configure terminal

Router# configure terminal

Enters global configuration mode.

Step 7

license boot level { standard | advanced | premium }

Router(config)# license boot level advanced

Activates the license on the Cisco CSR 1000V upon the next reload.

Note In Cisco IOS XE 3.12.1S and later 3.12.xS releases, use the standard option for the IPBase feature set, the advanced option for the Security feature set, and the premium option for the AX feature set.

Step 8

end

Router(config)# end

Exits global configuration mode.

Step 9

write memory

Router# write memory

Saves the running configuration to NVRAM.

Step 10

reload

Router# reload

Restarts the Cisco CSR 1000V to enable the feature set and the maximum throughput supported by the license.

Step 11

show license detail

Router# show license detail

After the Cisco CSR 1000V restarts, verifies that the license has been installed and is active.

Installing CSL Regular Licenses for Cisco IOS XE 3.13S and Later

In Cisco IOS XE 3.13S and later, the Cisco CSR 1000V first boots in limited mode with the AX feature set enabled and the maximum throughput limited to 100 Kbps. You can generate multiple licenses for the Cisco CSR 1000V from one PAK. The purchased PAK determines the number of licenses you can generate.

SUMMARY STEPS

Perform the following steps after the Cisco CSR 1000V first boots:

1. Obtain the PAK.

2. enable

3. show license udi

4. Convert the PAK to a license by entering the PAK and the UDI into the Cisco Product License Registration portal: http:/www.cisco.com/go/license

Note When entering the UDI, enter only the 11-character serial number, for example, 966975BITWG. The UDI is case-sensitive, and should be entered in all capital letters.

Understanding the Cisco CSR 1000V Memory Allocation

The feature add-on licenses add memory for the Cisco CSR 1000V, but the memory is allocated to both the IOSd component and the data plane component, with the allocations depending on the licenses installed.

The following table lists the memory allocation depending on the amount VM memory and the feature licenses installed. In the table, 4G license indicates a single 4 GB memory add-on license, while BB indicates the broadband feature license.

Add 4096 MB for each memory license you are planning to install. For example, if you plan to add three memory licenses, you would add 12288 MB of memory.

Step 8

end

Router(config)# end

Exits configuration mode.

Step 9

license install stored-location-url

Router# license install bootflash:90NVHJ3C26E_20140724194119019.lic

4096 MB memory has been added to the system

Execute ’write memory' to persist this change

Installs the memory add-on license.

Step 10

write memory

Router# write memory

Saves the running configuration to NVRAM.

Step 11

reload

Router# reload

Restarts the Cisco CSR 1000V to enable the memory add-on license to be activated.

Step 12

show license detail

Router# show license detail

Displays the license information to verify the installation of the memory license(s).

Step 13

show platform software vmem info

router# show platform software vmem info

Verifies the updated memory allocation on the Cisco CSR 1000V.

The following is an example of the show platform software vmem info command display, showing the available memory allocation:

Router# show platform software vmem info

Total System Memory: 7926 MB

Memory Upgrade License Limit: 4096 MB

Maximum Memory Limit for IOSD: min(6646 MB, 5376 MB) = 5376 MB

Configured Memory Limit for IOSD: 2560 MB

The following is an example of the show license command with details of a memory add-on license shown:

Router# show license

Index 1 Feature: ax

Index 2 Feature: mem_4G

Period left: Life time

License Type: Permanent

License State: Active, In Use

License Count: 1/1/0 (Active/In-use/Violation)

License Priority: Medium

Installing Broadband Feature License

Beginning with Cisco IOS XE 3.13S, the Cisco CSR 1000V supports the Broadband Network Gateway feature set and the Intelligent Services Gateway feature set. The required broadband feature license (L-CSR-BB-1K=) provides up to 4 GB of additional memory and support for up to 1000 broadband sessions.

The following restrictions apply:

The APPX feature license with a minimum of 1 Gbps maximum throughput must be installed.

You can install multiple broadband feature licenses to increase the number of broadband sessions. However, installing additional broadband feature licenses will not add more memory. To add more memory beyond the 4 GB installed with the first broadband feature license, you must install a separate memory add-on license.

If both a broadband feature license and memory add-on licenses are installed, then the broadband license takes higher priority than any memory add-on licenses installed. When the Cisco CSR 1000V is reloaded, the broadband feature license takes effect first, before any installed memory add-on licenses.

We recommend that you install the broadband feature license before installing any memory add-on licenses.

The VM must have enough memory allocated to accommodate the additional memory. See Table 9-1 for more information.

Troubleshooting CSL License Issues

Determining the License Status

You can install multiple licenses on a Cisco CSR 1000V. To determine if a license is active, enter the show license or show license detail command. The display indicates the license status. The following are the possible states for license:

Active, In Use

This state indicates that the license is active and is in use by the Cisco CSR 1000V.

Active, Not in Use

This state indicates that the license is installed on the Cisco CSR 1000V, but is not currently being used.

Inactive

This state indicates that the license is installed on the Cisco CSR 1000V but is no longer valid. For example, a license that has reached the end of the subscription term is shown as inactive.

The following example shows a Cisco CSR 1000V with two licenses installed, an AX technology license and a Security technology license:

The AX technology license is shown as Active and in use, while the Security technology license is Active but not in use. To use the Security technology license, the license boot level command needs to be configured to “security” and the Cisco CSR 1000V must then be reloaded.

The following example of the show version command shows that the Cisco CSR 1000V has an AX technology license installed, but that the license boot level command has been set to “security”, but the Cisco CSR 1000V has not yet been reloaded.

Migrating Technology Package Licenses to Cisco IOS XE 3.13S

Beginning with Cisco IOS XE 3.13S, the names of the technology package licenses have changed. The base feature content is the same, but the names as shown in the licenses and displays have changed.

The Standard technology package was changed to the IPBase technology package.

The Advanced technology package was changed to the Security technology package.

The Premium technology package was changed to the AX package.

If you migrated either a Standard or Advanced technology package license from a previous version to Cisco IOS XE 3.13S, then the show version and show license commands display the old license names, which is expected behavior. The new license names display when you enter the show running configuration command.

In the following example, the show running configuration command following the migration shows the new “security” technology package :

Router# show running | include levellicense boot level security

However, in the show version output, the migrated license displays as the old “advanced” technology package name, as shown in the following example:

Router# show version | include License Level

License Level: advanced

In the show license detail output, the feature license also shows the old advanced license package name, as shown in the following example:

Router# show license detail

Index: 1 Feature: adv_100M Version: 1.0

License Type: Permanent

License State: Active, In Use

License Count: Non-Counted

License Priority: Medium

Store Index: 0

Store Name: Primary License Storage

No further configuration is required. To verify the correct feature set name for the migrated license, use the show running configuration command.

Note If the current call home configuration is not in conflict with the configuration required by Smart Licensing, the call home configuration is automatically finished when you enter the license smart enable command.

After Cisco Smart Licensing is enabled, the Cisco CSR 1000V is no longer in evaluation mode and the technology level and throughput level supported by your license takes effect. For more information about managing the technology package and throughput license attributes, see the “Managing Throughput License Notifications” section.

Use the show running-config command to verify that Cisco Smart Call Home is enabled. The following configuration should be included:

Verify that the destination address command is pointing to the above URL for the Cisco Smart Software Agent. If the URL is not configured, then you must manually configure the destination address http command to point to this URL.

Registering the Router with the Cisco Licensing Cloud

After you have enabled Cisco Smart Licensing, you must register the router with Cisco. Using the ID token, the license agent on the router registers the product with Cisco and then receives back an identity certificate. This certificate is used for all future communications with Cisco. The license agent on the router automatically renews the registration information with Cisco every 30 days.

The system will now contact the Cisco Smart Licensing servers to obtain authorization for Smart Licensing

Registers the device instance with the Cisco licensing cloud. This step only needs to be performed once per device instance.

The license agent registers the product with Cisco and receives back an identity certificate. This certificate is saved and automatically used for all future communications with Cisco. The license agent automatically renews the registration information with Cisco every 30 days.

Requesting Cisco Smart License Throughput Level Licenses

Request a license corresponding to the configured technology package level and throughput level.

Managing Throughput License Notifications

Understanding the License-Based Restriction on Aggregate Bandwidth

The Cisco CSR 1000V includes a license shaper that may restrict the aggregate bandwidth of the router’s interfaces. For example, if a 50 Mbps license is installed, then a maximum of 25 Mbps of bidirectional traffic is possible.

The license shaper regulates the throughput on interfaces for both priority traffic and non-priority traffic:

(Cisco IOS XE 3.11S and later) The license shaper regulates the throughput on all interfaces.

Throughput limits are checked globally, not on a per-interface basis. The license shaper does not distinguish between different types of traffic, such as for IPSec or NAT. If the throughput level is exceeded, then packets may get discarded.

Figure 9-1 shows how the license shaper, also known as a traffic shaper, works. In this example, the four interfaces on the Cisco CSR 1000V are passing an aggregated traffic level of 60 Mbps. Because this exceeds the 50 Mbps license-enforced maximum throughput, 10 Mbps of traffic is discarded.

Figure 9-1 Cisco CSR 1000V License Shaper Example

To check the license-based performance limiter value, use the following command for your interface:

When the actual throughput level approaches the maximum allowed by the installed license, you will receive an alert message similar to the following (the message may differ depending on the release version):

Managing Throughput Notifications

Beginning with Cisco IOS XE 3.13S, you can configure the Cisco CSR 1000V to notify you when a certain percentage of the maximum throughput level is reached. The maximum allowable throughput is based on the installed throughput license.

By default, when the Cisco CSR 1000V first boots, the throughput level notification is enabled, and notifications are sent when the router reaches 95 percent of the maximum throughput level. The throughput level is measured every 300 seconds. When the router is rebooted, the threshold and interval level settings configured using the set platform hardware throughput-monitor command are retained.

DETAILED STEPS

Configures the hardware throughput monitor settings. The throughput percentage value represents the percentage of the maximum throughput at which the system notifies you. The valid range is from 75 to 95, and the default value is 95 percent.

The interval value represents how often the system measures the throughput level. The valid range is from 30 to 86400 seconds. The default value is 300 seconds.

To display the platform hardware throughput monitor settings, use the show platform hardware throughput-monitor parameters command, as shown in the following example:

Router# show platform hardware throughput-monitor parameters

Throughput monitor parameters

Throughput monitor threshold: 95 percent

Throughput monitor interval: 300 seconds

Throughput monitor status: enabled

The following example shows a console log message received when the average throughput has exceeded 95 percent of the maximum throughput with a sample period of 300 seconds:

To disable the platform hardware throughput monitor, perform the following step:

SUMMARY STEPS

1. set platform hardware throughput-monitor disable

DETAILED STEPS

Command or Action

Purpose

Step 1

set platform hardware throughput-monitor-disable

Router# set platform hardware throughput-monitor disable

Disables the platform hardware throughput-monitor.

Requesting a New Virtual UDI

The Cisco CSR 1000V license is node-locked to the vUDI. If you clone the Cisco CSR 1000V to a new VM instance, the vUDI is in most cases automatically updated when the router first boots up on the cloned machine. However, if the vUDI is not automatically updated, you must manually request a new vUDI on the cloned VM instance.

Caution Requesting a new vUDI will invalidate the existing license. If you later need to rehost the license due to a system failure, you may need to perform additional steps on the Cisco Software Licensing portal. For more information on rehosting the Cisco CSR 1000V license, see
Appendix A, “Rehosting the Cisco CSR 1000V License.”.

Perform the following step in EXEC mode:

SUMMARY STEPS

1. request license new-udi

DETAILED STEPS

Command or Action

Purpose

Step 1

request license new-udi

Router# request license new-udi

Requests that a new virtual UDI be assigned to the Cisco CSR 1000V VM instance.

Once you enter the request license new-udi command, you will be prompted to confirm, and then you will receive a series of system messages confirming the request:

To display the UDI history of the Cisco CSR 1000V feature license, including previous virtual UDIs, enter the show license udi history command. The following example displays the UDI history of the feature license: